Willie Tuitama threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night as Arizona won its first bowl game in 10 years, 31-21 over No. 17 BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Wildcats stifled BYU quarterback Max Hall throughout the game, forcing him to scramble often, lose a fumble and throw an interception.

"We had to go with physical tackling--we had eight guys in the box at all times," linebacker Xavier Kelley said. "We had our ups and downs, and this is tremendous. It's amazing, amazing."

Arizona fans trickled onto the field as the last minute ticked off the game clock, then sprinted to midfield in celebration of the school's first bowl win since 1998, when it finished 12-1 and beat Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

"This was five years in the making. It all came together in the last month of the season," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said. "I couldn't be more proud of these seniors who brought Arizona back."

Date & Time: Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. (PST) Location: Sam Boyd Stadium will serve as the venue for the Las Vegas Bowl. Attendance: The last three Las Vegas Bowls have been sold out and the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl attracted a state-record crowd of 44,615.

Participants: The Las Vegas Bowl will feature the first selection from the Mountain West Conference vs. the fourth or fifth selection from the Pac-10 Conference. Television: The bowl will once again be televised by ESPN. The 2007 game drew a 2.93 national rating (2,131,000 HHI), which ranked an impressive twelfth among all 32 bowl games in the country. Radio: You can listen to the game on the Wildcat Sports Network (107.5 FM or 1290 AM) with Brian Jeffries doing the play-by-play. The bowl will also be heard throughout the country and overseas on the Sports USA Radio Network, with Larry Kahn serving as play-by-play announcer. Las Vegas Bowl Affiliations: The Las Vegas Bowl announced in August 2005 that it had extended its contract with the Pac-10 Conference for an additional four years through the 2009 season, getting the fourth selection in 2006 and 2008 while getting the fifth selection in 2007 and 2009. In addition, the bowl extended its contract with the MWC for the first selection/champion through the 2009 season.

Bowl Events: Participants in Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl XVII will be treated to a Welcome Reception at the ESPNZone; a Media Conference and Luncheon at the Las Vegas Convention Center; a Team Charity Visit to Sunrise Hospital; Show Night in Las Vegas at the must-see show Stomp Out Loud at Planet Hollywood Resort; the Outback Buffet Bowl and traditional Pep Rally at the spectacular Fremont Street Experience; a Kids Day at Rave Motion Pictures; a Ladies Shopping Spree & Luncheon at Tommy Bahama's at Town Square Las Vegas; and the Tailgate Extravaganza at Sam Boyd Stadium. Host Hotels: Mountain West- Planet Hollywood / PAC-10- Venetian